Bin Laden Plotted To Assassinate President Obama, Gen. Petraeus

A senior administration official told the Washington Post that al Qaeda did not have the resources to pull off an attack on President Obama. Photo: Reuters

Osama bin Laden was allegedly devising a plan to assassinate both President Barack Obama and Gen. David Petraeus shortly before his death at the hands of U.S. Special Forces, according to the Washington Post, which reports the al Qaeda leader believed the United States would be more vulnerable to an attack if the presidency transferred to Vice President Joe Biden.

The reason for concentrating on them, is that Obama is the head of infidelity and killing him automatically will make [Vice President] Biden take over the presidency. ... Biden is totally unprepared for that post, which will lead the U.S. into a crisis, Bin Laden reportedly explained to his top lieutenant, according to documents obtained by U.S. forces when they raided bin Laden's compound on May 2, the night of his death. As for Petraeus, he is the man of the hour ... and killing him would alter the war's path in Afghanistan.

While Obama administration officials told the Post the plot was never a serious threat, Bin Laden had apparently gone as far as pinpointing the man whom he hoped would carry out the attacks. Pakistani terrorist Ilyas Kashmiri was directed to use specially trained al Qaeda cells to shoot down aircraft transporting Obama and Petraeus, who was the commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan at that time.

Petraeus is the current Director of the Central Intelligence Agency.

Despite bin Laden's ambitious plans, administration officials told the Post that al Qaeda lacked the weaponry to take down Air Force One or any other U.S. aircraft. But, the documents reveal the infamous terrorist leader was acutely focused on pulling off another attack on U.S. soil.

In a 48-page letter, bin Laden reportedly told his top lieutenant, Atiyah Abd al-Rahman, to focus every effort that could be spent on attacks in America instead of planning operations within Muslim nations.

Other proposed terror plots uncovered included a plan to target passenger trains in the U.S., in addition to carrying out attacks on Americans during the July 4 holiday and on the tenth anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.